It seems that as more money I sink into the car and the better it is in overall shape, more of the small problems that I used to ignore or compensate for start becoming more alarming to me.

This summer I've already had the following performed on the car:

New t-stat
New radiator hoses
New radiator
Swapped the radiator fans
A respray
New all 8 front control arm bushings
Sway bar bushings
Shock mounts
Shock absorbers

Now my two big problem areas are the following:
I've got a coolant leak which I think comes from either the octupus hose, the valley hoses, or both. It's not too bad.

I've got an oil leak that seems to be getting worse. It's gone from a couple of drops to a small lake. Soon it'll be the Exxon valdez oil spill.

I took the car to a local mechanic to determine where it's coming from. He said that the oil leak is coming from the crankshaft seal.

Alright, how bad is that and how much is it going to cost me to fix it? I need to nip this in the bud. My landlord is not going to be happy to see oil stains in her garage floor. For now I'm putting carboard boxes below the car to catch the oil.

 

Front or rear crankshaft seal?

 

Both, but the front one is the one that is leaking the most.

 

Front is not too bad - harmonic balancer removal and then I think the seal comes out from the front without having to remove the timing cover - I haven't done one on the Jag - if I'm wrong one of the other forum members will soon correct me. The rear seal is a bigger deal - either engine or gearbox removal to access and replace - I had one done years ago on a XJS - luckily that one was under warranty.
A thought occurs however, if you have both seals leaking at the same time that suggests excess crankcase pressure - has your mechanic checked for that? IMHO it's unusual to have both fail at the same time.

 

I had my rear seal replaced for about $700. A bit too involved for me at home, without a lift...transmission must be disconnected from engine to get at the seal.

Keep in mind that (sometimes) main seals can leak slowly for many years without major problems. If your puddle size is increasing rapidly, certainly have it looked at. REAR main seal leaks usually show with a drip of oil from the bottom of the torque converter housing.


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Ok, so where can I buy the seals? What are the parts numbers. My dad said he had the seals replaced for his VDP at $300.

I'll make use of that mechanic, although he said any mechanic can do it.

 

SNG Barratt catalogue shows AJ83698 for the front and AJ83744 rear.

 

Thanks!

 

Alright, via SNG Barratt they can be had for $27 and $37 each. That's not bad for $64 I can get both seals. Labor is definitely going to be the expensive part.

 

Don't forget to ask for your 10% JF discount